Parme Marin Is Bringing a Little Moroccan Flair to New York

Parme Marin’s path to success sounds a bit like a movie script: She grew up sewing and collecting objects in Paris, moved to New York City as a young adult to study acting, and started making her own jewelry for fun in her spare time. People constantly stopped Marin on the street to ask where they could buy her necklace or earrings, but she was hesitant to make it her career; then, when her visa expired, she moved to Morocco and “the inspiration was limitless.” So she spent more than a year finding local artisans to work on her new jewelry line. “I have a silver guy, a wood guy, a bone guy,” she says. “After meeting one artisan, they might introduce you to another one, and another one. . . . I only work with very old artisan groups who know what they’re doing. I like craftsmanship, and I think [the industry] has to come back to that at some point.”

Marin has since expanded into shoes and bags, and Spring ’17 was a breakthrough for her. Her new evening sandals have already gotten lots of love from press and on social media; one pair comes in fluffy fox fur; along with her shearling styles, they make a strong case for “winter sandals.” And women looking for a more colorful statement shoe will appreciate the glittering brocade sandals. “The idea is that you can wear them with an evening gown in the summer,” Marin explains. “I don’t wear heels anymore, but I still want to look sharp.” With squared-off soles, they’re distinctive—and sustainable, too. The leather is responsibly sourced, she uses recycled bone and silver for the jewelry, and each piece is hand-made. The brocade handbags, which look a bit ’30s-inspired, are also a nice vegan option. “Everything has a sustainable aspect or comes from nature,” she says. “And each piece is unique in a way, because it’s all made by hand one by one—we don’t have molds for our jewelry.” She also refuses to use shoe boxes, despite retailers’ requests for them. “Who uses shoe boxes?” she says. “I don’t understand. It’s not good for the environment. So we use little pouches you can actually reuse for traveling.”

While another brand might lean too heavily on its far-flung inspirations and box itself into a “boho” or “arty” look, Marin adds a geometric element to each piece for a little contrast. Wooden necklaces come with blocky resin, and her sandals have sleek, angular leather footbeds. “Geometry is my thing, so having a round sole wouldn’t make sense for me,” she explained. “It’s about having this ethnic, colorful vibe, but looking sharp at the same time. I wear very basic clothing, so everything for me is about the accessories, because you can play with them so much.”

Marin picked up 13 new stores this season, including the New York boutique Reformation, so you’re bound to see even more from her in the coming months. Shop her current collection of shearling slides, leather cuffs, and silver rings at parmemarin.com.